The Flow Of Time
by FallenQueen2
Summary: Writer's Month 2019. Day 9. Time Travel. Prequel/Clone Wars Era. ONESHOT. COMPLETE


**Writer's Month Day 9**

**Trope Prompt: Time Travel**

**Fandom: Star Wars Prequels**

**Present Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex**

**Past Characters: Young Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda, Mace Windu**

**Tags: ****#writersmonth2019, time travel AU, Knight Anakin meets aged out Obi-Wan, Anakin is confused and unimpressed, Rex finds small Obi-Wan too adorable for his own good**

**The Flow of Time **

"You touched something you shouldn't have didn't you General?" Rex sighed as he looked around the hanger bay of the Jedi Temple, but none of the Jedi's looked familiar. They looked at him and Anakin in confusion and some wariness.

"Maybe? I don't know, ruins aren't my thing, it's more Obi-Wan's area of interest." Anakin said as he ran his mech hand through his blond hair, throwing it into further disarray as he looked around in slight panic.

"Yes, Master? Can I help you?" A young male voice asked causing both Rex and Anakin to spin around and stop still. The little boy around to be 12 or 13 with red-hair and freckled skin paired with a very solemn look on his face. Rex noticed that while he was in Jedi Commander tunic's he was missing the standard braid.

"Sorry?" Anakin said slowly as the Force rang out around him and the child, shining with familiarity and brightness.

"You said my name?" The boy asked unsurely as he adjusted the sack on his shoulder.

"You're… Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Anakin did not squeak he did not, even if Rex tells Ashoka he did later.

"Yes Master, how may I be of assistance?" Obi-Wan asked primly and Rex had to resist the urge to elbow his shocked General while shaking off his shock. General Kenobi was tiny and a shiny. Also so adorable and innocent, Cody was going to be so mad he missed this.

"Can you tell me what year it is?" Anakin seemed to regain some sense and Rex tensed up as Obi-Wan informed them of the date.

"Oh…Right, yes thank you Initiate Kenobi." Anakin said thickly and suddenly Obi-Wan looked down and scruff the ground with the toe of his boot.

"I am no longer an Initiate, Master. I'm on my way to the transport to Bandomeer." Obi-Wan said voice full of disappointment and Anakin felt frozen at the realization.

"You… You aged out? The Agrio-Corps?" Anakin's voice reached a pitch Rex didn't believe was possible. Rex was trying to wrap his head around the fact that General Kenobi didn't seem to be a Commander like Ashoka or Caleb.

"Yes? It's a well-known fact in the temple now, I'm sorry Master but I must leave or I will miss my transport." Obi-Wan bowed stiffly and went to leave, Anakin made a noise in the back of his throat and scooped the tiny version of General Kenobi up and over his shoulder.

"Nope, not happening, let's go see the council Obi-Wan," Anakin said cheerfully as he began to walk out of the hanger, Rex trailing behind him holding a hand up to his mouth where it was hidden underneath his bucket, as he watched the sight of the tiny General Kenobi wiggling from his place over General Skywalker's shoulder.

"Please put me down, Master! There isn't anything that can be done, please just let me leave with my pride still intact." Obi-Wan begged voice hitching and Rex felt the need to wrap the tiny Kenobi up in a blanket and put him in the middle of the 212th and 501st for protection and hugs.

"No can do, you're going to be the best Jedi in this whole order and I'm going to make sure of it. Master Qui-Gon will be your Master," Anakin said simply and Obi-Wan went still and limp.

"He already rejected me once, please do not make me relive it again," Obi-Wan said quietly and Anakin froze in place while his arm tightened up over Obi-Wan's small waist.

"He what?" Anakin's voice was quiet and deadly.

"Please Master, just put me down," Obi-Wan asked again and Rex felt the need to find this Master Qui-Gon and shake him for not picking Obi-Wan when he had the chance.

"Put the Initiate down now." Mace Windu's voice rang out and Anakin slowly turned around to see Yoda, Mace and Qui-Gon himself standing a few feet away, lightsabers in hand and determined looks on their faces.

"I would never hurt him, never," Anakin swore fiercely even as he set Obi-Wan down onto his feet, but he kept the tiny General Kenobi behind him in protection.

"We do not know who the two of you are, but you are the source of that flare of unusual Force energy," Mace said slowly.

"He touched something he shouldn't have General Windu, it will be hard to believe this but we aren't from this time." Rex stepped in, taking his bucket off his head and tucking it under his arm as he spoke.

"Time travel?" Qui-Gon asked with an eyebrow raised and eyes darting to Obi-Wan who Anakin was still keeping behind him.

"Something like that, it honestly wouldn't be the strangest thing that has happened to us," Anakin said with a tinge of amusement before it faded away when he felt Obi-Wan shift almost uneasily behind his back.

"Take this to the council room, we should," Yoda said after looking over both Anakin and Rex while taking the small form of Obi-Wan into account as well.

"Yes, best not to make a spectacle." Mace agreed and the group all moved in unison towards the council room. Anakin kept his mech hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder, keeping the small boy next to his side at all times.

Once the group was safely enclosed in the council room, Rex, Anakin and Obi-Wan stood in the middle of the room like they were giving a mission debrief.

"Talk now and perhaps Initiate Kenobi should be leaving? He has a transport to catch." Mace laced his fingers together.

"Oh no he's not, he's not going to be shipped off to the Arigo-corps." Anakin hissed like a wet lothcat and kept Obi-Wan at his side. Obi-Wan looked at the Jedi's he knew with wide eyes, but he was more focused on the familiar sensation of the Jedi next to him and the man in the white armour on his other side.

"You do not have a say in where the Initiate goes, you have no pull here and you have yet to even identify yourselves," Qui-Gon spoke up and Rex had to fight back the reflex to pull out his blaster when Obi-Wan flinched back a step and ducked his head when the man spoke.

"I am Captain Rex of the 501th division," Rex said simply, not willing to give away any more than needed. His General, on the other hand, was never one for subtly.

"I am Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, the Padawan of Jedi Master, Sith killer and council member Obi-Wan Kenobi," Anakin said boldly and Obi-Wan let out a small gasp as he twisted his whole body around to look up at Anakin with wide eyes.

"My Padawan?" Obi-Wan whispered in awe and Rex smiled at the adorable look of awe on General Kenobi's face.

"Your words are bold," Mace said as he leaned back in his chair as he studied the two while Qui-Gon scoffed quietly under his breath.

"Ring true in the Force, they do." Yoda tapped his glimmer stick against the floor as his ears flattened in thought.

"What do you feel from the Force Obi-Wan?" Mace asked the Initiate who looked at the council member in shock before closing his eyes and reached out into the Force. The gathered group watched as Obi-Wan's face relaxed and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Familiar and warm, while it shines like the sun," Obi-Wan said truthfully and when he opened his eyes he saw Anakin beaming and Rex nodding.

"Force given bond, it seems." Yoda hummed thoughtfully.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi is the best of the Jedi order in my time, he was not born to be an agrio-corp worker," Anakin said firmly and Obi-Wan ducked his head shyly as his cheeks turned pink.

"That is not up to you Knight Skywalker, you are not of this time. Time must flow correctly unless it changes your future." Mace said and Obi-Wan almost visibly deflated making Rex and Anakin take steps closer to Obi-Wan out of reflex.

"Kark that, I will not let you allow self-doubt and self-sacrifice be instilled in him again. I will train him away from the temple if that is what it takes for him to become the man we both know him to be." Anakin hissed in anger, Rex nodded his agreement because he would help his General and the gathered Jedi looked at him in shock.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan whispered as he twisted his fingers in the hem of his tunic sounding so thankful that it hurt Rex to hear.

Qui-Gon opened his mouth to reply but the room was filled with bright light and ringing silence. When the light faded a new man stood in front of Anakin, small Obi-Wan and Rex. A bearded, red-haired man in Jedi Master tunic's with white arm bracers decorating his forearms and matching chest armour over the beige tunics stood tall between the past and future Jedi.

"Anakin, what did I tell you about touching things in old temple ruins?" The man asked while sighing and stroked his beard as his eyes flitted about the room not showing any sort of reaction to those gathered there.

"Not to? Sorry Master," Anakin said shyly.

"You're me?" Obi-Wan squeaked and Kenobi hummed.

"I am glad you both are alright and at least landed in the temple where you are safe." Kenobi sighed as he tucked his hands into the billowing sleeves of his robe before he bowed lowly to the gathered Jedi's.

"Masters, I am sorry for this disruption. From what we can tell when we return, the timeline will reset itself." Kenobi relayed the message, keeping his eyes on Yoda and Mace.

"Master Kenobi was it?" Mace inclined his head in respect.

"After some… Incidents on Bandomeer with Master Jinn and his fallen Padawan things changed." Kenobi said carefully.

"Xanatos?" Qui-Gon gasped and stood up from his chair, looking at Kenobi with wide-eyes.

"Things will be complicated but he will get what he deserves," Kenobi said serenely, but Rex and Anakin both noticed the twitch of Kenobi's eyes that showed that he was holding a lot more back.

"If Xanatos is on Bandomeer, you can not send Obi-Wan there." Qui-Gon turned to Yoda and Mace while Obi-Wan blinked in surprise.

"It will not matter, in a matter of seconds, none of this will matter," Kenobi said simply as he withdrew his hands from his sleeves and held up a small device.

"Don't worry Obi-Wan, you will be a Jedi this I promise you." Anakin knelt and pressed his and Obi-Wan's forehead together in a deep gesture that had Obi-Wan beaming.

"Thank you, Anakin… My Padawan," Obi-Wan whispered while Rex and Kenobi watched with soft smiles.

"You can not leave now, you need to tell me more about Xanxatos." Qui-Gon moved towards Kenobi, holding onto the man's forearm. Kenobi froze and turned wide eyes up to Qui-Gon, his chin quivering below his beard.

"You haven't changed Master Qui-Gon, please just… Don't let him bring you into his darkness." Obi-Wan placed his hand over Qui-Gon's gently.

"You look at me with such sadness," Qui-Gon said, his demeanour changing when he saw the look in Kenobi's eyes.

"It's just… Been a long time since I last saw you, Master," Kenobi said quietly before stepping away from Qui-Gon to join Anakin and Rex.

"Take care Master Qui-Gon," Kenobi said, voice steady but eyes filled with sorrow as he clicked the device in hand and a bright light filled the room.

When it faded the room was empty and Obi-Wan Kenobi stepped onto the transport shuttle to Bandomeer, somehow not feeling as heavy and despondent as he did a moment before and the Force swirling around him with unknown brightness.

~~/~~

"Why did you never tell me you aged out?" Anakin asked quietly as the two settled in the room of a Thousand Fountains.

"It was not important," Obi-Wan said from where he was sitting with his legs crossed and eyes closed.

"Not important?" Anakin asked in confusion as he leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree.

"Yes, it was in the past and well you never asked," Obi-Wan said simply and Anakin winced slightly.

"I know and I'm sorry," Anakin said quietly and Obi-Wan exhaled quietly.

"I always will answer your questions Anakin you know this," Obi-Wan opened his eyes knowing he would be talking instead of mediating.

"Why did Master Qui-Gon not pick you at the temple?" Anakin asked slowly.

"He said I was too angry, that I was full of fear and could fall to the dark side," Obi-Wan admitted and Anakin almost jumped up onto his feet in shock.

"What? You? That's impossible!" Anakin exclaimed and Obi-Wan gave his former Padawan a small grateful smile.

"He had a Padawan before me, he fell to the dark side and it sent Qui-Gon into a spiral of sorts. He said he would never take a Padawan again and that stuck with him for years," Obi-Wan said in defence of his fallen Master.

"That is no excuse and you know it, Master," Anakin huffed and Obi-Wan gave him a patient smile.

"I know Anakin, I know…" Obi-Wan said quietly as he closed his eyes and released some of his emotions into the Force, knowing Anakin would ask more questions.

"How did you become his Padawan then?" Anakin asked interested in hearing how it happened.

"On Bandomeer… I ran into his fallen Padawan, Xanatos." Obi-Wan took a few steady breaths knowing the next part of his story would invoke a reaction from Anakin.

"He tricked me and I woke up on a mining platform with a slave collar around my neck." Obi-Wan said and he was right, Anakin shot to his feet with wide eyes and his mouth open in shock.

"You were a slave?" Anakin exclaimed, his flesh and mech hands flexing and un-flexing quickly.

"For a short while yes, I have had more run-in with slavers later in life, but that was the first time I got a taste of what the underbelly of the galaxy was like," Obi-Wan said as he gestured Anakin to sit down. It took Anakin a minute but slowly he sank back down onto the grass and twisted a few blades between his flesh fingers.

"Master Qui-Gon did come and save me, he only accepted me as his Padawan when I offered to use the slave collar to blow myself and a door up to save the planet and the people on it from a bomb." Obi-Wan powered through the rest of the mission, editing it down a whole lot.

"Master!" Anakin shouted in shock and was back on his feet.

"I know, not the most conventual way to become a Padawan, but we weren't exactly the most conventual pair, much like us," Obi-Wan commented as he watched Anakin pace and run his fingers through his hair.

"I had no idea Master, I'm so sorry." Anakin sank to his knees in front of Obi-Wan and leaned forward until his and Obi-Wan's foreheads were touching.

"Oh Anakin," Obi-Wan murmured and cupped the back of Anakin's head tenderly, allowing them both to have this moment.

~~/~~

"There's no way the General was ever that tiny and shiny." Cody shook his head in disbelief as Rex downed more of his drink. The two of them were sitting in Cody's bunk, sharing a drink and Rex of his story of meeting Obi-Wan when he was an Initiate.

"He was I swear, he was so innocent and shy. He was being shipped off; told he wasn't going to be Jedi. It was confusing Vode," Rex admitted and Cody allowed Rex to lean against him in support.

"He's here now that is all that matters Vode, I just can't imagine the General being a shiny." Cody stirred Rex away from that train of thought.

"Oh he was shiny alright," Rex laughed.

"Maybe we can talk to some of the Generals who knew him when he was a cadet and see if we can get some holo's," Cody suggested.

"Good idea Vode, everyone needs to see this even if General Kenobi disapproves." Rex laughed as the two tapped mugs together.


End file.
